George II of Greece
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George II, King of the Hellenes (Greek: Γεώργιος Β' [Geōrgios] Βασιλεύς των Ελλήνων); 20 July 1890 — 1 April 1947), ruled from 1922-1924 and 1935-1947.
He was born at Tatoi, near Athens, the son of Constantine I, King of the Hellenes (2 August 1868 - 11 January 1923) and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia (14 June 1870 - 13 January 1932).
He married, on 27 February 1921 at Bucharest, Princess Elisabeth of Romania (12 October 1894 - 14 November 1956), daughter of King Ferdinand I of Romania and Princess Marie of Edinburgh. They had no children, and were divorced on 6 July 1935.
He followed his father into exile in 1917, and returned with him in 1920, after the death of his brother, Alexander and the electoral defeat of Eleftherios Venizelos. He succeeded to the Greek throne on his father's abdication, 27 September 1922. In late 1923 he was asked by the government to leave Greece "on leave" while the National Assembly considered the question of the future form of government. He complied and left for an exile to Romania, later living in Great Britain. He was officially deposed when a republic was proclaimed on 25 March 1924. He was restored to the throne, 3 November 1935, after a military coup against the Republic. He endorsed the establishment and supported the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas (the "4th of August Regime"). Despite the regime's quasi-fascist tendencies and strong economic ties to Nazi Germany, his pro-British feelings guaranteed Greece's siding with Britain during the Second World War.
He fled Athens with the government following the German invasion on 23 April 1941 and went to Crete. After the German airborne attack on the island, however, he was evacuated to Egypt. Once again he went into exile to Great Britain. During the war he remained the internationally recognized head of state, backed by the exiled government and Greek forces serving in the Middle East. In occupied Greece, however, the leftist partisans of the EAM/ELAS had become the largest resistance movement, enjoying considerable popular support. As liberation drew nearer, however, the prospect of the King's return caused dissessions both inside Greece and among the Greeks abroad. A large section of the people and many polititians rejected his return on account of his support of Metaxas' dictatorship, and it was agreed that the question of his return and of the fate of the monarchy would be decided in a national referendum. The referendum was held in September 28 1946, amidst allegations of fraud from the Left, and conditions of Civil War (see Greek Civil War). He died of a sudden heart attack in the Royal Palace in Athens, and was succeeded by his brother, Paul.
On account of his many exiles, he is said to have remarked that "the most important tool for a King of Greece is a suitcase."
In 1942 he was awarded the Norwegian War Cross.
| Styles of King George II of the Hellenes | |
|---|---|
| Reference style | His Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
| Alternative style | Sir |
| House of Oldenburg (Glücksburg Branch) Born: 20 July 1890; Died: 1 April 1947 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Constantine I | King of the Hellenes 27 September1922 – 25 March1924 | Succeeded by: Republic (Pavlos Kountouriotis, Provisional Head of State) |
| Preceded by: Republic (Alexandros Zaimis, President) | King of the Hellenes 3 November1935 – 1 April1947 | Succeeded by: Paul |
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